2010, 2021, and 2026: History Repeats Itself for the Canadiens

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
2010, 2021, and 2026: History Repeats Itself for the Canadiens
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Third time's the charm, as they say?

Right now, the Canadiens are on the verge of losing to the Hurricanes. It's hard to see how Martin St-Louis's men can pull this off.

And it's easy to draw parallels with two other memorable runs from recent years.

In 2010, Jaroslav Halak stepped up. He beat the regular-season champions (the Capitals) and the defending Stanley Cup champions (the Penguins) to reach the third round.

Then, the Habs hit a wall. Just like in 2026…

“And just like in 2010 after those 14 games, the tank is empty; the players from that era confirmed it to us after the five-game elimination against the Flyers.” – Jeremy Filosa

We also remember that in 2021, the same principle applied. A hot goalie (Carey Price) had taken the Habs further than expected—this time, to the finals.

And what happened in the finals? The Habs lost in five games, even though they were clearly running on fumes and had nothing left in the tank.

Both in 2021 against the Lightning and in 2010 against the Flyers, the losses were crushing. The Habs shouldn't have been there. The other team had an experienced coach and a roster that was as talented as it was deep.

Those same words apply to the 2026 Hurricanes as well.

Jon Cooper and Peter Laviolette made sure the Canadiens hit a wall… and Rod Brind'Amour will ensure that at the stroke of midnight (here, that's at the end of Game #5, surely), we can say goodbye to the Cinderella story.

Halak… Price… Dobes… these guys can't do it all on their own.

You might say I forgot to mention 2014. But in my view, what happened that year isn't exactly in line with 2010, 2021, and 2026.

The Habs weren't blown out in those games against the Rangers, except for the first one. And if Carey Price hadn't been injured by Chris Kreider, maybe the Habs would have had a chance.

In other words: the Habs hadn't hit a wall.

Several players from 2014 had played for the Habs in 2010. The core had aged together, and that had allowed the players, despite setbacks along the way, to develop together.

But in 2010, 2021, and 2026, the core was quite different from the last time the team reached the Final Four.

That's why it's good that the 2026 Habs are hitting a wall now. It will ensure that the players and management open their eyes so that next time, the Habs don't run out of steam in the Final Four.

In other words: the novelty effect (which existed in 2010 and 2021 for many of the core players) that we're seeing in 2026 won't be as strong when the Habs return to the Final Four in the coming years.

Because yes, I believe that. And the Habs won't hit the same wall later on because they'll know what to expect, and the guys will have gone through that experience in 2026.


in a nutshell

– Still.

– Josh Gorges misses the playoffs in Montreal. [JdeM]

– Must-read.

– Note.

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